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We're moving to Austin from San Diego in June, and I am feeling a little lost about housing. We want to pay no more than $1000 per month for rent, which shouldn't be a problem, according to Craigslist.
My husband wants to find the cheapest place possible, and I want to find a place where I can take our kids outside to play and an apartment that isn't tiny. I need advice on finding a happy medium!
I just read a post on here where you all were talking about the mega-complexes and how not-awesome they are. I really want a place where I can take my sons outside to play and hopefully meet other families. Is this a pretty rare thing at the bigger complexes?
My husband's company is on Research near Anderson Mill-kind of close to the Arboretum, if I remember correctly. Are there good places around there? I remember seeing a huge neighborhood of condos right down the street-Riata-Is that a good place to live? Actually, nevermind. I just looked at the website and the 3 bedrooms are $1700/month.
And what moving-to-Austin post would be complete without a question about actually getting to Austin. We're thinking about my husband and his dad driving a UHaul and me flying with the kids. The UHaul seems to be less expensive than renting a POD-type company. Thoughts on that? We want to move as inexpensively as possible (who doesn't, right?)
Lastly-for those of you with kids-what do you pay for childcare? We have a 3 year old and a 4 year old.
We are really looking forward to relocating to Austin. We are so ready to get out of super expensive, crowded San Diego (and I apologize in advance for making Austin a little more crowded).
You won't find too many families in apartment complexes here in Austin, compared to a place like San Diego. Regular homes & duplexes with yards are so inexpensive (in the burbs), that families mostly just rent those. You could find a home, definitely a duplex, within your price range that will be an easy commute to husband's work. As for apartments, check older complexes and rent should be a lot less than Riata... check other Arboretum-area apartments, or Anderson-mill area, or Cedar Park is just north of there and has plenty of apartments.
Hi Jen! I lived in San Diego (Mission Valley) for a few years and am glad to be out, too! Depending on where you're looking and how many rooms you need, you can certainly find something. I'm in Cedar Park and we have some nice spots here. It's also been my experience that the advertised prices on complex websites are not always the same as the going rate. For example, I know someone who just found 2BR at Colonial Grand at Silverado Reserve (pretty easy access to Anderson Mill via Parmer) for a few hundred less than what's listed on their site. I'd definitely call... There are lots of others, but that particular one is in a pretty walkable area of Cedar Park and close to a shopping center with a large grocery store, Starbucks, bank, etc. There are also LOTS of parks nearby along Brushy Creek Road.
Re: moving, UHAUL will probably be cheaper and after doing the CA-TX drive with a little one, I'd definitely say flying with the kids is a good move!
If you chose to move to the NW Austin/Cedar Park area, there are many, many daycare options, so it really depends on what type of care you're looking for. You can find pre-schools like Primrose or Children's Courtyard, various Montessori schools (Brushy Creek, Cypress Creek, Cedar Park, Sapientia), pre-school/after school care options like Rainbow Station, private in-home day care or nannies... Prices will vary depending on the type but you can certainly check the childcare board on Craigslist as a place to start.
Good luck with your move and I bet you'll love it here! Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.
Last edited by centraltex_sara; 04-09-2009 at 05:08 PM..
Reason: missing words
Thanks everyone for commenting! I spent the last hour looking at places on the site ATXCIO linked. I'm really grateful for the info you all gave me.
CaboLissa-you mentioned Hutto-is that pretty far away from the Arboretum area? A realtor I was talking to said it was "way out there," but it seems like it would be a nice place to live.
I pay $925 a month for FT 9-6 care for my 2 year old at preschool near my office. I think some of the other "daycares" were around $700-800/mth.
Check out rental houses on austinhomesearch.com. There are lots of affordable houses for rent. One neighborhood that looked cute when we were looking was called Angus Valley.
We moved from Atlanta with a dog and a toddler. We used a POD unit and a door-to-door unit and it was awesome. We'd read so many bad reviews on Uhaul -- how they break down, that we didn't want to fool with it.
TexasHorseLady: Thank you! I am new to this. How do I access homes for lease on the MLS? I looked and only saw things for purchase.
Atlanta Hope: do you mind sharing how much the POD cost you for that move?
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